VI International Translation Model UN at MSLU

From 12 to 14 May, MSLU hosted the VI International Translation Model United Nations Conference. The event brought together 90 participants who recreated a United Nations General Assembly session dedicated to the topic "Artificial Intelligence: Strategic Opportunities or Global Threats." Delegates represented countries that are actively developing AI technologies and whose positions are widely discussed on the international stage.

The event brought together students from 11 universities and created an international team of young experts. The sessions were accompanied by simultaneous interpreting in both directions in the official UN languages — English, Spanish, French, and Russian. The interpreting was provided by students of MSLU’s programme for training translators for international organisations, as well as students from translation schools at Astrakhan State University and Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia.

The opening ceremony featured speeches by MSLU Rector Irina Kraeva, Sergey Gritsay, Director of the Department for Linguistic Support at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Moscow, and Svetlana Gavrilova, Deputy Head of the Programme Department of the Russian International Affairs Council. At the closing ceremony, participants were welcomed by representatives of MSLU and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, who also presented certificates to all participants.

One of the highlights of this year’s Model UN was a special challenge: participants had to identify the delegate whose speech represented the position of artificial intelligence. Although the AI delegate remained undiscovered, the experience allowed participants to explore firsthand the capabilities and challenges of artificial intelligence in the modern world.